Immersive Visualizations

I returned from New York 2 weeks ago after talking at the inaugural CAT (Creativity and Technology) conference organized by Creativity Magazine. There was a lot of interesting people there, like Aaron Koblin, Ben Fry and Nick Bilton, and plenty of creative directors from a variety of digital agencies, such as Organic, Crispin Porter + Bogursky, R/GA, amongst others. The key topics emerging from most talks were around Mobile Development, Data Visualization and Augmented Reality, and I must say that being somehow disconnected from the latter I was surprised to see some of the current developments in the field. I shared the stage with Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, director of the Allosphere Research Laboratory - an impressive 3 storey high visualization environment. JoAnn is an engaging speaker and it was great to hear her describe the Allosphere in detail.

Allosphere (left) & Geodome (right)

After CAT in New York and HATCH, in Asheville (North Carolina) last April, and talking with the people behind Allosphere and Geodome, respectively JoAnn Kuchera-Morin and David McConville, it really became clear that we’re facing an increasing need for alternative ways of visualizing data that go way beyond the common mouse-screen configuration. These 2 projects provide immersive visualization environments that allow the discovery of different levels of information in a rich and engaging way, miles apart from any screen-based online tool. Being inside one of Elumenati’s Geodomes was an outstanding escapade from the mundane, which I described in a previous post, so I can only imagine what it must feel like to be inside a 3 storey high sphere, with surrounding visuals and sound in a truly multi-sensorial immersive experience. I cannot wait to visit JoAnn in my next trip to California…